[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 422 Introduced in House (IH)]
110th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 422
Calling on the Government of the People's Republic of China to use its
unique influence and economic leverage to stop genocide and violence in
Darfur, Sudan.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
May 21, 2007
Ms. Lee (for herself, Mr. Smith of New Jersey, Mr. Payne, Mr. Moran of
Kansas, Mr. McGovern, Mr. McCotter, Mr. Lantos, Ms. Ros-Lehtinen, and
Mr. Al Green of Texas) submitted the following resolution; which was
referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Calling on the Government of the People's Republic of China to use its
unique influence and economic leverage to stop genocide and violence in
Darfur, Sudan.
Whereas since the conflict in Darfur, Sudan began in 2003, hundreds of thousands
of people have been killed and more than 2,500,000 displaced as a result
of the ongoing and escalating violence;
Whereas on July 23, 2004, Congress declared, ``the atrocities unfolding in
Darfur, Sudan, are genocide'' and on September 23, 2004, then Secretary
of State Colin Powell stated before the Committee on Foreign Relations
of the Senate that, ``genocide has occurred and may still be occurring
in Darfur,'' and ``the Government of Sudan and the Janjaweed bear
responsibility'';
Whereas on October 13, 2006, the President signed the Darfur Peace and
Accountability Act (Public Law 109-344), which identifies the Government
of Sudan as complicit with the forces committing genocide in the Darfur
region and urges the President to, ``take all necessary and appropriate
steps to deny the Government of Sudan access to oil revenues'';
Whereas President George W. Bush declared in a speech delivered on April 18,
2007, at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum that no one ``can
doubt that genocide is the only word for what is happening in Darfur-and
that we have a moral obligation to stop it'';
Whereas the presence of approximately 7,000 African Union peacekeepers has not
deterred the violence and the increasing attacks by the Government of
Sudan and Government-sponsored Janjaweed militia and rebel groups;
Whereas worsening violence has forced humanitarian organizations to suspend
operations, leaving a substantial portion of the population of Darfur
inaccessible to aid workers;
Whereas violence has spread to the neighboring states of Chad and the Central
African Republic, threatening regional peace and security;
Whereas the Government of Sudan continues to refuse to allow implementation of
the full-scale peacekeeping mission authorized under United Nations
Security Council Resolution 1706;
Whereas former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan subsequently
negotiated a compromise agreement with the Government of Sudan for a
hybrid United Nations-African Union peacekeeping mission to be
implemented in three phases;
Whereas the Government of the People's Republic of China has long-standing
economic and military ties with Sudan and continues to strengthen these
ties in spite of the on-going genocide in Darfur, as evidenced by the
following actions:
(1) China reportedly purchases as much as 70 percent of Sudan's oil;
(2) China currently has at least $3,000,000,000 invested in the
Sudanese energy sector, for a total of $10,000,000,000 since the 1990s;
(3) Sudan's Joint Chief of Staff, Haj Ahmed El Gaili, recently visited
Beijing for discussions with Chinese Defense Minister Cao Gang Chuan and
other military officials as part of an eight-day tour of China; Cao pledged
closer military relations with Sudan, saying that China was ``willing to
further develop cooperation between the two militaries in every sphere'';
(4) China has reportedly cancelled approximately $100 million in debt
owed by the Sudanese Government;
(5) China is building infrastructure in Sudan and provided funds for a
presidential palace in Sudan at a reported cost of approximately
$20,000,000; and
(6) Data provided by the Government of Sudan to the United Nations for
2005 states that Sudan imported at least $24,000,000 in arms and ammunition
from the People's Republic of China, as well as nearly $57,000,000 in parts
and aircraft equipment, and $2,000,000 in helicopter and airplane parts
from China, making China the largest provider of military arms and
equipment to Sudan, even as Sudan has defended its right to transfer and
use such military arms and equipment in Darfur for military operations;
Whereas given its economic interests throughout the region, China has a unique
ability to positively influence the Government of Sudan to abandon its
genocidal policies and to accept United Nations peacekeepers to join a
hybrid United Nations-African Union peacekeeping mission;
Whereas the President's Special Envoy to Sudan, Andrew S. Natsios, further said
in testimony on April 11, 2007, that ``China's substantial economic
investment in Sudan gives it considerable potential leverage, and we
have made clear to Beijing that the international community will expect
China to be part of the solution'';
Whereas the Government of the People's Republic of China's recent appointment of
a senior diplomat as China's special representative on African affairs
who shall focus specific attention on the Darfur issue and its pledge to
provide military engineers to support African Union peacekeeping forces
in Darfur are welcome developments, but do not demonstrate that Beijing
is truly committed to using all the considerable diplomatic and
political means at its disposal to stop the genocide in Darfur;
Whereas due to its large population, its rapidly growing global economy, its
large research and development investments and military spending, its
seat as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council and on
the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, China is an emerging power that
is increasingly perceived as a leader with significant international
reach and responsibility;
Whereas in November 2006, China hosted its third Forum on China-Africa
Cooperation with more than 40 heads of state in attendance and which
focused heavily on trade relations and investment on the African
continent as it is expected to double by 2010;
Whereas China is preparing to host the Olympic Summer Games of 2008, the most
honorable, venerated, and prestigious international sporting event and
has selected ``One World, One Dream'' as a slogan for those games;
Whereas China should act consistently with the Olympic standard of preserving
human dignity in Darfur, Sudan and around the world; and
Whereas China has been reluctant to use its full influence to improve the human
rights situation in Darfur: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) calls upon the Government of the People's Republic of
China to--
(A) acknowledge publicly and condemn the atrocities
taking place in Darfur;
(B) cease all military arms, ammunition, and
related military equipment sales to the Government of
Sudan; and
(C) take steps to immediately suspend economic
cooperation with the Government of Sudan and investment
in Sudan until and unless the Government of Sudan--
(i) stops its attacks on civilians;
(ii) complies with all United Nations
Security Council resolutions related to Darfur;
and
(iii) engages in good faith negotiations
with Darfur rebel groups to achieve a
sustainable negotiated peace agreement;
(2) recognizes the close relationship between China and
Sudan and strongly urges the Government of the People's
Republic of China to use its full influence to--
(A) urge the regime in Khartoum to comply with the
deployment of the peacekeeping force authorized by
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1706;
(B) call for Sudanese compliance with United
Nations Security Council Resolutions 1556 and 1564, and
the Darfur Peace Agreement, all of which demand that
the Government of Sudan disarm militias operating in
Darfur;
(C) call on all parties to the conflict to adhere
to the 2004 N'Djamena ceasefire agreement and the
recently-agreed United Nations communique which commits
the Sudanese Government to improve conditions for
humanitarian organizations and ensure they have
unfettered access to the populations they serve;
(D) emphasize that there can be no military
solution to the conflict in Darfur and that the
formation and implementation of a legitimate peace
agreement between all parties will contribute toward
the welfare and stability of the entire nation and
broader region;
(E) urge all rebel groups to unify and assist all
parties to come to the negotiating table in good faith;
(F) urge the Government of southern Sudan to play a
more active role in pressing for legitimate peace talks
and take immediate steps to support and assist in the
revitalization of such talks along one single
coordinated track;
(G) engage collaboratively in high-level diplomacy
and multilateral efforts toward a renewed peace
process; and
(H) join the international community in imposing
economic and other consequences on the Government of
Sudan if that Government continues to carry out or
support attacks on civilians and frustrate diplomatic
efforts; and
(3) recognizes that the spirit of the Olympics, which is to
bring together nations and people from all over the world in
peace, is incompatible with any actions directly or indirectly
supporting acts of genocide.
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